PART FOUR DECEMBER 25TH III

III
“I wanted to find you, M. Poirot.”
Superintendent¹ Sugden had excused himself and gone back into the house. Looking after
him, Hilda said:
“I didn’t know he was with you. I thought he was with Pilar. He seems a nice man, quite
considerate.”
Her voice was pleasant, a low, soothing² cadence³ to it.
Poirot asked:
“You wanted to see me, you say?”
She inclined her head.
“Yes. I think you can help me.”
“I shall be delighted to do so, madame.”
She said:
“You are a very intelligent man, M. Poirot. I saw that last night. There are things which you
will, I think, find out quite easily. I want you to understand my husband.”
“Yes, madame?”
“I shouldn’t talk like this to Superintendent Sugden. He wouldn’t understand. But you will.”
Poirot bowed. “You honour me, madame.”
Hilda went calmly on:
“My husband, for many years, ever since I married him, has been what I can only describe as
a mental cripple.”
“Ah!”
“When one suffers some great hurt physically⁴, it causes shock and pain, but slowly it mends,
the flesh heals, the bone knits. There may be, perhaps, a little weakness, a slight scar, but nothing
more. My husband, M. Poirot, suffered a great hurt mentally at his most susceptible⁵ age. He
adored his mother and he saw her die. He believed that his father was morally responsible for that
death. From that shock he has never quite recovered. His resentment⁶ against his father never died
down. It was I who persuaded David to come here this Christmas, to be reconciled to his father. I
wanted it—for his sake—I wanted that mental wound to heal. I realize now that coming here was a
mistake. Simeon Lee amused himself by probing into that old wound. It was—a very dangerous
thing to do. . . .”
Poirot said: “Are you telling me, madame, that your husband killed his father?”
“I am telling you, M. Poirot, that he easily might have done so . . . And I will also tell you this
—that he did not! When Simeon Lee was killed, his son was playing the ‘Dead March.’ The wish
to kill was in his heart. It passed out through his fingers and died in waves of sound—that is the
truth.”
Poirot was silent for a minute or two, then he said:
“And you, madame, what is your verdict on that past drama?”
“You mean the death of Simeon Lee’s wife?”
“Yes.”
Hilda said slowly:
“I know enough of life to know that you can never judge any case on its outside merits. To all
seeming, Simeon Lee was entirely⁷ to blame and his wife was abominably⁸ treated. At the same
time, I honestly believe that there is a kind of meekness⁹, a predisposition to martyrdom which does
arouse the worst instincts in men of a certain type. Simeon Lee would have admired, I think, spirit
and force of character. He was merely irritated by patience and tears.”
Poirot nodded. He said:
“Your husband said last night: ‘My mother never complained.’ Is that true?”
Hilda Lee said impatiently:
“Of course it isn’t! She complained the whole time to David! She laid the whole burden of
her unhappiness on his shoulders. He was too young—far too young to bear all she gave him to
bear!”
Poirot looked thoughtfully at her. She flushed under his gaze and bit her lip.
He said:
“I see.”
She said sharply:
“What do you see?”
He answered:
“I see that you have had to be a mother to your husband when you would have preferred to be
a wife.”
She turned away.
At that moment David Lee came out of the house and along the terrace towards them. He
said, and his voice had a clear joyful¹⁰ note in it:
“Hilda, isn’t it a glorious day? Almost like spring instead of winter.”
He came nearer. His head was thrown back, a lock of fair hair fell across his forehead, his
blue eyes shone. He looked amazingly young and boyish. There was about him a youthful
eagerness, a carefree radiance. Hercule Poirot caught his breath. . . .
David said: “Let’s go down to the lake, Hilda.”
She smiled, put her arm through his, and they moved off together.
As Poirot watched them go, he saw her turn and give him a rapid glance. He caught a
momentary¹¹ glimpse of swift anxiety—or was it, he wondered, fear?
Slowly Hercule Poirot walked to the other end of the terrace. He murmured to himself:
“As I have always said, me, I am the father confessor! And since women come to confession¹²
more frequently than men, it is women who have come to me this morning. Will there, I wonder,
be another very shortly?”
As he turned at the end of the terrace and paced back again, he knew that his question was
answered. Lydia Lee was coming towards him.

1 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

2 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

3 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

4 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

5 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

6 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 abominably   

adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地

参考例句：

• From her own point of view Barbara had behaved abominably. 在她看来，芭芭拉的表现是恶劣的。
• He wanted to know how abominably they could behave towards him. 他希望能知道他们能用什么样的卑鄙手段来对付他。

9 meekness   

n.温顺，柔和

参考例句：

• Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk. 阿密阳奉阴违地一直缝到黄昏。 来自辞典例句
• 'I am pretty well, I thank you,' answered Mr. Lorry, with meekness; 'how are you?' “很好，谢谢，”罗瑞先生回答，态度温驯，“你好么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

11 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

12 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。